That same month, Adweek proclaimed that the ‘Just do it’ slogan might be “the last great tagline in advertising history”.

A bit of history…

In one of my very first posts here I covered Nike and attributed their success to their understanding of what they sell.

Nike sells shoes but it’s not in the shoe-selling business. It’s in the business of selling emotion and aspiration. Nike sells achievement, Nike sells perseverance and Nike sells Victory. Nike also happens to sell running shoes and athletic wear.

In 1988, advertising legend Dan Wieden summed up this feeling in the now-ubiquitous “Just Do It” tag line.

The first “Just do it” ad

The very first Just do it ad was of an 80-year-old Walt Stack jogging across the Golden Gate Bridge. As he jogged, he told us about his daily 17-mile run and joked about how he keeps his teeth from chattering in winter by leaving them in his locker, brilliant!

In memory of Walt, and as a tribute to the greatest slogan ever made, we created this short parody of a popular MadMen scene. Watch, enjoy and please share…

“Just do it” is still appealing today

It features LeBron James participating in his first ever (fake) dunk contest, soccer star Pique, and lots of inspiration for athletes to push themselves harder. Watch…

It’s no surprise that Nike’s ads and specifically the “Just do it” tag line still resonates with consumers today. Nike’s inherent ability to communicate to consumers at an emotional level has future-proofed their business model for many years to come.